


Quite the Soldier

by POTFFAN



Series: The Children of Mandalore [1]
Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Angst, Din is a BAMF, Din is a good dad, F/M, Hurt Mando, Injured Din, Major Character Injury, Mandalorians (Star Wars), Mando'a Language (Star Wars), Passionate Sex, Planet Mandalore (Star Wars), Smut, Vaginal Sex, Whump, injured mandalorian, worried baby yoda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:28:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27855118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/POTFFAN/pseuds/POTFFAN
Summary: The trip to Tython didn't exactly go as planned and Din is left fighting for his life and joining allies to get back his son and quite possibly his home world.Essentially, how I think this show might end up going.
Relationships: Din Djarin/Fennec Shand, Grogu & Din Djarin
Series: The Children of Mandalore [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2039202
Comments: 81
Kudos: 143





	1. Tython

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I'm so glad you've stumbled across my fic! You asked for more Bo and Din fics and I listened! I hope y'all like this. It's based on my theories for the show. Anyways, enjoy!

Tython was on fire. The planet was burning and Din couldn’t shake the feeling that it was his fault. In fact, it was very much his fault. He hadn’t intended for things to go this way. It had all started when he arrived at the ruins of the Jedi temple, not more than an hour ago.

_Not More than an hour ago…_

Din walked up to the ancient ruins. He had to admit, there was something quiet and almost spiritual about this place. It was almost as if ghosts resided here. He wasn’t a superstitious man personally and had been raised to believe that spirits and apparitions were just stories for children, but there was definitely haunting this place. The baby at his hip cooed nervously and shifted in his pouch.

“It’s alright, Grogu. It’s ok,” he soothed gently as he carefully took the child out and held him in his arms. He came to a stop in front of what he assumed was the temple.

The smooth, stone building had started to crumble from decades of abandonment. The foliage had grown rampant in the absence of anyone to trim it back and was now climbing all over the sides of the ruins. Din looked at the babe in his arms.

“Does this place seem familiar to you?” The baby babbled at him and Din shrugged in reply. He wondered if they would ever get past this language barrier with Grogu. “Now, I wonder what a “seeing stone” looks like?” He muttered as he traversed further into the ruins. How was supposed to know what the hell a seeing stone looked like?

As if to answer his unspoken question, Din stopped in his tracks in the doorway of the largest building, one he assumed had once been a great hall of sorts. Inside, in the middle of the room, there was a short stone pillar. He found it odd that it wasn’t something more than…well a hunk of rock in the ground. Din supposed if it was supposed to be some mystical stone that would allow the child in his arms to reach out across the vast expanse of the galaxy, it would have been something more ornate and decorative. He shrugged and walked up to the stone.

“Alright, kid. Let’s see if this works.” Carefully he set the child down on the stone, making sure he was comfortable and wouldn't fall off before taking a few steps back.

The baby sat for a moment before looking back at his guardian. There was an uncertain look in his large eyes.

“It’s alright. I’m right here. Do your thing, kid,” he encouraged gently.

The baby turned back and sat for a moment before closing his eyes. Din felt a shift in the air and he shivered a little. It was just fairytales for children, right? He watched amazed as the child grew more and more focused. He’d seen this facial expression plenty of times as the long-eared child harnessed his powers. Grogu stretched out his little hand and Din wondered what he was seeing, or feeling. His breath caught in his throat. Though he’d never admitted it until this moment, he was constantly amazed by the powers his little ward possessed. His thoughts were suddenly forcibly intruded by a terrified scream. Din was instantly on high alert as he snatched the child off the stone and held him close. Grogu was crying and shaking in his arms as he clung to him desperately.

“Hey, hey Grogu. Shhhhh it’s ok. It’s alright,” Din soothed gently. “What’s wrong? What did you see?”

Grogu was still crying and Din was desperately trying to figure out how to calm him down when a deafening explosion rocked the ground and threw him off balance. Din stumbled a bit and regained his footing just as another explosion rocked the ruins. Whatever was outside was big and had the firepower of a star fleet. He needed to get out of here.

“Hang tight, kid. We’re getting out of here,” Din reassured as he put the baby back in the sack slung around his shoulder and took off at a dead run out of the building. The deafening sound of tie fighters screamed above him. “Shit!” He cussed as he kept running. They’d found him. He didn’t know how, but somehow the Empire had caught up to them. He was alone. There was no backup, no reinforcements, no IG-11, or Cara to step in last minute and give him a hand. He just had to keep running because at this moment an entire army was swarming above his head.

An explosion hit the ground in front of him and the shock blew him backward. Din held Grogu close to his chest to protect him as he hit the ground. He tumbled and jumped up, ready for action. A ship landed in front of him, blocking his way to the forest and Din felt cold fear grip his heart as none other than Moff Gideon exited the ship. He had a smug look of triumph on his face and Din really wanted to shoot it clean off.

“Well done, Din Djarin. Thank you for protecting what rightfully belongs to me and keeping it safe for me all this time.”

Din stood in stony silence as he let his hatred for the man in front of him grow from a small spark to a roaring flame. Gideon laughed.

“I do recall you being a silent one. You couldn’t even have the decency to beg me for mercy the first time I fought you.” A large carrier ship landed beside the tie fighter. Din rolled his eyes. This man was nothing if not dramatic. “I can wait to make you beg for mercy this time.”

The door to the carrier ship opened and to Din’s horror, rows and rows of dark, armored troopers were revealed. There were so many of them and they seemed much large than an average stormtrooper. This was going to be a tough fight and he honestly didn’t see how he was going to get out of this one, but damn it if he wasn’t going to die trying to protect the baby at his side. He pulled his blaster.

“Bring it on,” he spat.

Moff smirked before his face went devoid of all emotion. “Kill him, and bring the child to me.”

The troopers opened fire and Din felt a few shots ping off his armor as he dove for cover behind a large, crumbling wall. Hugging Grogu close to him he jumped up and fired a few shots, taking out a few of the troopers before ducking back down behind the wall again. This would not be a permanent strategy. He had to get himself unpinned and back to the _Razorcrest_ if he was gonna survive.

“Hang tight, Grogu. It’s going to be a bumpy ride,” he murmured before he took off running in the opposite direction of the oncoming army. He figured he could just loop around through the woods and make it back to his ship that way. Running was a cowardly move, but sometimes survival meant pulling out of the fight and regrouping.

“After him!” He heard Gideon yell as he continued to put more distance between him and the threat. The baby was whimpering at his side and he reached down to pat his head as he kept running.

“It’s alright, ad’ika. I won’t let anything happen to you we’ll figure this out.” His lungs felt like they were going to burst and still he kept running; right to the edge of a cliff. Skidding to a halt, Din panted as he peered over the edge. It was a steep drop but his jetpack should be able to handle the drop no problem. He was preparing to jump when a whine filled his ears and a tie fighter came into view. His stomach dropped when he saw Gideon standing on top of the ship his cape flapping dramatically in the wind. Ok, now this guy was trying too hard.

“You can run, but you can’t hide, Mandalorian,” Gideon sneered as he pulled a silver cylinder from his belt.

Pressing a button, the cylinder burst forth a strange glowing blade. It looked like Asoka’s laser swords, but this one was different. The blade appeared to be black and yet it glowed with an unearthly light. It still hummed with the unmistakable sound of raw energy, however, and Din knew this was a truly dangerous weapon. Thankfully, he’d come prepared. Reaching back, he pulled the spear from the holster on his back. This was either going to work or he was going to find himself sliced clean in half. His bracers held up against Asoka’s weapons. This spear should as well. Gideon laughed as he jumped down to the ground and Din had never wanted to choke someone more.

“Your puny little spear is nothing against a weapon such as this,” he taunted as he swung his weapon. Din gripped the spear with both hands and blocked the blade. It made a loud crackling sound but the steel held up strong against the energy. Din couldn’t help but smirk under his helmet when he saw the twinge of fear in Gideon’s eyes.

Shoving him back, Din thrust the spear, intending to impale the imperial while he was caught off guard. The man was a lot quicker than he expected, however, and swatted the spear away with his blade before making another pass at the Mandalorian, trying to swipe and the baby on his hip. Din spun Grogu just out of reach and swung the spear, trying to catch Gideon in the neck. The man duck and swung again, growling when his blow was blocked once more. The two men battled in a fevered frenzy, each one trying desperately to catch the other off guard. Din could feel sweat rolling down his face and the back of his neck and the exhaustion was pulling at him but he had to keep fighting, he had to keep fighting for his son. He could tell Gideon was getting tired too. If he could just outlast him he might be able to win this. That opportunity came when Din faked a swing and Gideon attempted to block it. Taking advantage of the opening, he swung again and hit the imperial in the wrist— _hard._ Gideon growled in pain as he dropped the blade and Din kicked it away before pointing the spear at him. Gideon couldn’t help but smirk.

“Well done, Mandalorian. I have to admit you’re quite the soldier. I didn’t think anything could hold up against the dark saber. It truly is a formidable weapon. It’s a shame you didn’t have anything like it. It might have helped you defeat me.”

Din was utterly confused. What was this insane man talking about? A blaster shot struck him in the pauldron and he made the mistake of taking his eyes off of Gideon for one second to look behind him and see the troopers storming out of the forest. Gideon lunged and grabbed the Mandalorian, forcing his arm behind his back to pin him there as he drew a vibroblade from his sleeve. In one swift motion, he drove it into Din’s side with as much force as he could muster. Din gasped and struggled in Gideon’s arms but the movements just twisted the blade deeper into his side and formed an ugly, jagged wound.

“Ah! Careful, Mandalorian. You’re going to gut yourself right in front of the child.” He snickered. “You fought bravely, you really did. It’s almost a shame to let you die here, but a glorious destiny awaits me and I will not let anyone stand in my way.” He yanked the blade down, ripping through muscle and flesh and Din cried out. He couldn’t help it. It felt as if someone was burning him alive from the inside and there was no escape. “Long live the Empire,” Gideon hissed as he ripped the blade out and grabbed the baby by the back of his robe, ripping him out of his pouch as Din sunk to his knees, gripping his side and trying to fight to get back up.

Gideon put his boot on Din’s chest and shoved him onto his back, enjoying the pained moan that ensued. He knelt beside the fallen Mandalorian, caressing his helm tauntingly.

“And now, I’d like to get a glimpse of the man who dared to think he could run from me.”

“N-No!” Din gasped as he tried to fight Gideon’s hands but he was weak and Gideon managed to get a solid grip on the bottom of his helmet and rip it off his head.

Gideon chuckled. “Just as a thought. Nothing more than a scared little boy under all that steel,” he said as he tossed Din’s helmet carelessly off the cliff. Din groaned and tried to push himself up but Gideon grabbed him by the curls and yanked him up so that Din was forced to look the wicked man in the face. “In the end, Din Djarin, you’re still the pathetic orphan that somehow managed to escape my clutches during the Purge. I’m glad I was able to amend my mistake,” he snarled as he slammed Din’s head back down. The baby started screaming and crying as he reached for Din. Gideon pulled a syringe from the pouch on his belt and injected it into the baby who immediately quieted down and started to go limp.

“Stop!” Din growled as he struggled to push himself up again. He still had his blaster. He reached to grab it but Gideon knocked it out of his hand.

“Dump him over the edge and let’s get moving,” Gideon ordered as he turned away from the Mandalorian and walked away with Grogu who was still trying to fight off the effects of the sedative he’d been given.

One of the troopers marched to Din and picked him up with inhuman strength. Din struggled as the trooper lifted him high above his head but it was no use. With a grunt Din found himself flying over the edge of the cliff plummet to the ground far below.

“PAPA!” He heard Grogu scream as the ground started rushing faster and faster towards him.

He couldn’t let himself hit the ground. He couldn’t. But he couldn’t pull his head together to figure out a solution. At the last minute, he finally pulled in the brain capacity to kick on his jet back and the twin engines roared to life, stopping him from slamming into the ground. His descent slowed before he dropped the last foot to the ground, where he attempted to land on his feet but stumbled and fell over with another pained cry. He found himself lying on his back staring up at the sky. Blood was gushing out of his wound faster and faster and he couldn’t find the strength to stop it. He’d failed. All of this was his fault.

“G-Grogu,” he choked out before the darkness claimed him.


	2. New Allies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Din finds himself at the bottom of a ravine and strangers break their way into Tython's atmosphere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely readers! I'm so glad you're enjoying this fic! I'm trying to crank this out before the season finale so hold onto your hats! Of course, this is a cannon divergence because the beautiful Razor Crest is still alive and well in this fic.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I've changed the ship tags a little bit so make sure you check those so see if this fic will still float your boat.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

_“Son, get up!”_

_Din pulled his eyes open with a gasp. He hadn’t heard that voice in years. Not since he was 20 years old._

_“Get up, Din. A soldier does not lie down on the battlefield. I taught you better than this.”_

_With a pained groan, Din struggled to pull himself up. It hurt. Every move, every breath drained the energy out of his body as it stoked the fire in his side. His limbs were shaking but he finally got himself into a pseudo sitting position. Standing in front of him was his father; his adopted father, Sion Oles._

_“F-Father?”_

_“Get up, Din.” Oles’ voice was just as strong and commanding as Din remembered. “You’ve got a duty to fulfill.”_

_“I-I failed,” Din groaned. Even in this strange limbo the agony, both physical and mental, were threatening to enslave him until his body and mind finally gave out._

_“That is no excuse,” Oles scolded. “I taught you better than this. I taught you not to quit. Now get up! Your foundling needs you!”_

_Din groaned and tried to pull himself up but his body sagged weakly back into the mud. “C-can’t. Been bleeding f-for hours.”_

_“Get up you pathetic excuse for a soldier!” Oles bellowed. “Your foundling needs you! Get up! Get up you pathetic waste! I did not rescue you from that village just so you lay at the bottom of a cliff and give up. Stand up and fight, Din!”_

Din’s eyes flashed open as he sucked in a ragged breath. Sion Oles was gone and he found himself alone where Gideon had left him, bleeding out at the bottom of the ravine. His father’s words were ringing in his mind. He had to get up. He had. To. Get up. Gritting his teeth he started to push his weak body up. Stars, everything fucking hurt. It felt like he was inhaling pure fire every time he breathed in and he was so cold and tired. It would be so easy to just throw in the towel and give up. The face of his foundling flashed in his mind. Those giant eyes were so full of innocence and love. He could practically hear the baby’s little noises every time he said his name. There was no doubt Moff was currently doing horrible things to the baby that would surely kill him. Glancing over to his side, he saw his discarded helmet Gideon had tossed over the edge lying a short way away from him. Reaching out he grabbed it with the tips of his fingers and pulled it to him.

 _Get up. Get up you pathetic excuse for a soldier_ ,” Din growled to himself as he continued his slow but steady vertical trajectory. He couldn’t quit. His foundling was counting on him. With a gritty shout Din pushed himself up the rest of the way and then he was standing on shaky legs. For a moment the whole world spun and his vision grayed violently. He was going to fall over again.

 _No!_ He told himself firmly as he forced his mind to center as he jammed his helmet onto his head and pressed his hand to his side. Blood was seeping out, making his flight suit and flack vest stiff with blood. Ok, he was upright, the next goal was to stop the bleeding so he didn’t die.

_Focus. Pull yourself together._

The _Razor_ _Crest_. There was a cauterizer, bandages, and disinfectant on the _Razor Crest_ ; three ingredients to keep him from not dying. He just had to get back there. Igniting his jetpack, Din clenched his arms around his torso and took off in the direction of his ship. A trip by jetpack was an instant regret. The pressure around his torso was almost too much to bear as he gritted his teeth. He couldn't even pull in the air to cry out. At last, he reached his ship. Puffing and gasping, Din stumbled up the ramp into the safety of the hull.

_Medical supplies. Get medical supplies._

Stumbling to the footlocker that he kept his medkit in, Din fell to his knees and opened it. His short, pained breaths were rattling in his helmet and his hands shook violently as he pulled the kit out of the locker. There was a loud metal bang as it slipped from his hands and slammed onto the steel floor, cracking open and spilling its contents everywhere. Din fumbled for the cauterizer and a vile of disinfectant before propping himself up against the wall.

_You’ve got to do this. You’ve got to do this or you’ll die._

Din pulled the cork from the vile with his teeth, spit it out, and sucked in some deep breaths before splashing it onto the wound. He couldn't stop the hoarse cry that escaped his lips as the alcohol burned the deep, jagged wound viciously and for a moment his stomach rolled as spots danced before his eyes. He sucked in a few more breaths, calming his nerves and steeling himself for what was to come. The cauterizer hummed the second Din flicked it on. _Stars_ this was going to be pure torture and he would have to go slow since he was using his non-dominant hand. Grogu’s face flashed into his mind again. They were hurting him, torturing him. The baby was being subjected to a slow and painful death. He had to fight for him. He had to get to him.

Gritting his teeth, Din lowered the tiny laser to his flesh and started to fuse the jagged pieces back together. He was alone and he allowed the pained cries to flow freely as he focused on sealing the wound in his side. It was agony. He could hardly breathe and his hands shook. It was taking every ounce of strength he had left to keep from scarring his flesh as he moved down the wound.

 _Think of the kid. Remember the kid_. Din thought of Grogu’s laugh. His big ears and how expressive they were when he was talking to him. Din thought of those long nights on the ship when the kid would climb down from his little hammock and crawl on his chest to sleep. He remembered the overwhelming sense of pride he felt as he watched his founding wield his powers. He loved him. He did. He hadn’t been able to admit that until now but he might not make it and he had to be honest with himself in what could be his final hours. He loved Grogu with a ferocity that had pushed him far beyond his limits and damn it if he wasn’t going to burn himself together like steel and fight anyone to get back to him.

The cauterizer clicked off as he finished. His body was weak as shallow panting breaths skipped under his helmet. The small tool clattered to the floor as his arm fell limply to his side. He had to get up. He knew he did, but he was so tired and he’d used every ounce of strength he had to patch himself up.

“I’m c-coming ad’ika. Just hold on,” Din moaned as his eyes slipped shut and he gave into unconsciousness.

***************

“Look, down there.” Fennec Shand pointed to the silvery ship parked deep within the forest of Tython. There was no mistaking the metallic glint in the dying afternoon light.

“Excellent eye, Fennec,” Boba Fett replied as he guided the _Slave I_ to land in the clearing not far from the silent ship. “At last, after all this time, my armor will finally be returned to me.”

“I’d go armed. I’ve seen Mando in action. He’s going to put up quite a fight,” Fennec commented as she checked the magazine in her rifle.

“We are Mandalorians. I know he can be reasoned with,” Fett replied.

“Suit yourself,” Fennec replied with a shrug as Boba lowed the ramp and the pair left the ship.

“That’s odd. The ramp was left open,” Boba observed as they trudged towards the _Razor Crest_.

“He didn’t strike me as someone who would be so careless,” Fennec replied as she lowered the shield on her helmet.

“Mandalorian?!” Boba called. “I’ve been tracking you all this time! You have something that belongs to me and I’ve come to get it back!”

Fennec ignored Boba for a moment and switched on the infrared vision on her helmet. Something didn’t feel right. Every survival instinct in her gut told her not to trust their surroundings. Immediately she spotted footprints in the earth around the base of the ramp. They definitely belonged to a man. There was something else picking up on her heat signature surrounding the footprints. It was splattered all over the ground and cooling rapidly.

“Fennec, I’ve got blood.”

Fennec switched off her infrared and to her horror, she saw bloody footprints and dark red smears all over the ramp and sides of the door frame.

“Something’s very wrong. Proceed with caution,” she replied as she switched the safety on her rifle and poised herself for a fight should one ensue. Carefully, she crept into the ship, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dark interior. Boba was close behind. “Hello? Is someone here?”

She got to the back of the ship and froze. Lying slumped over against the wall on the floor of the ship was the Mandalorian. She remembered the silver steel vividly from that night on Tatooine. Cold ruthlessness had bored right through his steel in the pale Tatooine moonlight then. But now, the man seemed much more vulnerable and human as he laid in a puddle of what she assumed was his blood.

“Dank Ferrik,” Boba breathed as he took in the view. “Is he alive?”

Fennec knelt beside the man as she pulled off one of her gloves. She could hear faint, raspy breaths rattling inside the helmet as her fingers moved under his cowl and pressed against the pulse point in his neck. His skin was cold to the touch and she felt his thready pulse hammering against her fingers.

“He’s alive, barely,” she reported and her companion let his guard down to kneel beside the injured man.

“Somebody got him good,” Boba observed as he inspected the ugly burn along the man’s side that was oozing a little blood still. He picked up the cauterizer that had fallen to the floor. “Poor bastard tried to seal himself closed alone.” He looked around the ship. There was a concerned look on his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“His companion, the little green fella. Where is he?”

“You mean that high-value target he stole from the Imperials?”

“He’s not here.” He turned to the Mandalorian. “Do you think the Imperials had something to do with this?”

“I can’t imagine who else would hunt him down and steal the asset,” Fennec replied. Out of the corner of her eye, Fennec saw the injured man shudder, and then in the next breath he was blindly lashing out at the intruders in his ship.

“Wh-who are you?” He demanded in a wavering voice.

“Oh come now, Mandalorian. I should hope you haven’t forgotten a familiar face already.” Din stopped and his dark visor stared straight at her. She couldn't help but smirk as she pulled her own helmet off. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Y-you were dead,” he rasped from his place on the floor.

“Not quite. I found her left for dead on the sands of Tatooine. I rescued her and she’s been my traveling companion ever since,” Boba explained.

“Boba here gave me a second chance,” Fennec chimed in as she shifted her shirt up to reveal a compartment in her stomach. The flesh and organs that had been there were long gone and in their stead were gears and mechanisms to help her body function.

Fennec confessed that even after months of living with the mechanical aids in her body, she still hadn’t quite got used to it. There were times at night as she laid in her bed that her fingers would roam over the shape of her body, exploring the metal that was now securely infused with her flesh.

Din’s helmet rolled against the steel wall so that he was facing Boba. “Wh-why are you here?” His body flinched as an audible wince rumbled through his body.

“I’ve been tracking you for some time. Ever since you helped that marshal, Cobb Vanth, kill the Krayte Dragon. That armor he paid you with. It belongs to me.”

“Are you a Mandalorian?”

“What?”

“Do you serve The Creed?”

“I serve no one.”

“The beskar belongs to the M-Mandalorians. It is ours b-by birthright,” Din insisted as he clenched his fist and an arm slung around his middle. The pain was returning with a vengeance.

“It belonged to my father who was a Mandalorian foundling.”

“Pr-prove it!” Din tried to push himself up to defend himself but a sharp groan pulled from his body and he slumped back against the wall gasping for breath.

“Hey! That’s enough!” Fennec said sharply as she moved closer to the injured man. “Just calm down, Mando. You can’t afford to get your blood pumping any faster.” Her tone was a little softer as his head lolled to the side like he might be passing out again. “Hey. Don’t go to sleep. Who did this to you? Who did this, Mando?”

“M-Moff Gideon,” Din choked out over a shuddering breath.

“That’s impossible. He worked for the empire. The empire is dead,” Boba protested.

Din shook his head weakly. “He-he’s back. The empire is back. They t-took the kid.”

“What would they want with a child?”

“E-experiments.” Din gasped as he gripped his side. Fuck, it was so hard to breathe. It felt like his side was on fire.

“Hey, Mando. You alright?”That was Fennec talking. Since when had she become so nice?

He couldn't answer. The fire was too strong and it was taking over his body. All he could do was press a hand against the wound and try to push staggering breaths past the fire in his torso. His vision was starting to go fuzzy and he was so cold.

_Too cold. Too empty. Lost too much blood. Laid in that ravine too long._

Boba and Fennec were calling him and talking to him but their voices were so garbled it was too difficult to make sense of what they were saying.

_I’m sorry Grogu. I’m sorry. I’m trying to come. I’m trying my hardest. I can’t get up. Lost too much. It’s too much._

Hands were trying to maneuver him onto his back and the muscles in his body seized painfully, causing him to cry out. 

“Steady. It’s alright. Relax. We’re going to fix this.” Damn, her voice was lovely. Hadn’t she tried to kill him last time they met? He couldn’t pull the brain capacity to remember. A gentle hand pulled his away from the wound and the slight bit of pressure made him cry out again as he fought hard for air that wasn’t coming.

“Don’t blackout. You need to stay awake. Hey! I can’t tell if you’re awake under there so you need to say something!” Her voice was sharp, sharp with worry. Din couldn't figure out why she was worried.

There was a sticky puddle underneath him. Oh, that’s right. He was bleeding out. Moff had ripped a hole into him with a knife and then had done it again when they took his foundling from him. He didn’t have the strength to keep his eyes open. It was too hard. His eyelids were too heavy. The pressure in his chest was building and it was too much.

“P-Please,” Din groaned. Please what? Please help him? Please keep him from dying? Please tell Grogu that he was sorry he failed him? Din didn’t have the faintest idea of what he was begging.

“We’ll get you patched up, Mando. Just stay with us,” Fennec urged as Boba dug around in his pathetic excuse for a medkit.

“Corvus…” he rasped weakly.

“What? What was that?” Fennec prompted.

“G-get to C-Corvus,” he forced out. Then his strength was gone and he was slipping into the darkness again.

“Mando? Hey, Mando you with me?” Fennec prompted as she shook his shoulder gently. He didn’t budge or acknowledge her presence. Worry settled in the pit of her stomach. “He’s out cold.”

“He’s lost a dangerous amount of blood from what I can tell. We need to get him help and fast,” Boba said as he finished going through the medkit. “There’s nothing here. I have some emergency supplies on my ship.”

“What makes you think we should help him?” Fennec asked suspiciously.

“I’ve been watching him. I saw how he helped Mos Pelgo back on Tatooine and if the stories are true, he’s put his life on the line repeatedly for that helpless foundling. Mandalorians are nothing if not honorable. He is a brother in arms and we need to help if we can.”

Fennec’s gaze shifted to the man beneath her hands. “I suppose so.”

“Besides, you of all people know what a simple act of compassion can do to a person,” Boba said as he gave her a knowing look and got to his feet.

Fennec huffed. “I knew you would throw that in my face.”

“You know me too well. Now, get him comfortable and set a chart for Corvus. I’ll retrieve what I need from my ship and when I return we will begin our journey. He clearly knows someone who can help there.”

Fennec nodded. “As you wish.”

She watched Boba leave the ship before turning back to the Mandalorian. She had to confess, he looked worse for wear now, but the fact that he was still alive gave her a sense of hope. Clearly, this man had something to live for, something to keep fighting for. Most bounty hunters, in fact, all the bounty hunters she’d ever come across would never sacrifice themselves for what was once a bounty. Truth be told, she’d kept up with the rumors she’d heard about him over the last several months. For whatever reason, his smug looking helmet and raspy voice pestered her on the daily. It was like an itch she couldn’t scratch. And now he was lying here, helpless and vulnerable in front of her. The assassin side of her wanted nothing more than to put him out of his misery and rob him blind. But there was a part of her, oddly enough of the machine part of her, that reminded her that she’d changed, perhaps for the better. Shaking her head, she got up and set about grabbing some supplies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! As always, rate and review!


	3. The Children of Mandalore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Boba begins to mentor the Mandalorian and old allies are racing to Corvus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers! As promised, another chapter! I'm trying to churn this out before the finale. (Why do I do this to myself?) Just a reminder, the tags of changed for this story so be sure to look out for that. Without further ado, enjoy the chapter!

“Mando? Hey, Mando you with me?”

Din jerked awake, groaning when the sudden movement sent pain shooting through his torso, stealing his breath from him.

“Whoa, easy now. Don’t need you dying on my watch or Boba will kill me.”

Din forced his eyes to open and he could see Fennec’s blurry face peering down at him from behind the safety of his visor. His whole body quaked with chills and he was acutely aware that he was lying on a hard surface with no shirt on. There was a soft blanket underneath him and a pillow for his head and another thick blanket was draped on top of him in an attempt to warm his clammy skin. It did little to keep the shivers from racking their way through his prone form. For a moment he couldn’t quite remember where he was or how he’d gotten there. The last time he’d seen Fennec was on Tatooine when he’d taken that job with that snot-nosed bounty hunter. She had been fiercely armed then. She must have shot him. That explained the spike of pure pain that was forcing itself deep into his side. The anxiety of being so vulnerable in a dangerous situation kicked up his heart rate and he felt his chest squeeze tight as he fought to sit up and push the blanket off of him.

“Whoa, Mando! Easy. I’m not gonna hurt you,” Fennec soothed gently as laid her hand gently on his chest and eased him back down. She tried not to think about how his pectorals rippled beneath her palm and instead focused on the fact that his body was still tightly coiled and his skin felt cold. He stilled and his chest heaved with his heavy breaths. “That’s it. Just relax. Boba’s got you on a blood transfusion and some fluids for now. You’re safe on your ship.” 

Din looked over at his arm and saw the clear tubes running from the crook of his arm. They ended somewhere past his line of vision and he felt too dizzy to see where they ended up. He let his eyes droop closed for a moment.

“Didn’t find any pain killers in that field kit of yours?” He quipped weakly and Fennec smirked.

“Sadly not. We ran into a little scrap with some pirate about a month ago and exhausted our supply. Too bad we’ve been following you to every backwater planet in the galaxy and couldn’t scrounge up any Bacta or medication.”

“Yeah, about that, why didn’t you stop me sooner?” Din rasped.

“Well, you did have a couple of weeks' head start on us. And of course, you dropped off the map a few times so it was difficult to pick up your trail. Lucky for you, Boba is the best bounty hunter in the galaxy.”

“That’s my title,” Din coughed but Fennec could hear the wistfulness in his voice.

“Something bothering you, Mando?”

“I-I failed the kid. I c-couldn’t keep him safe-” his words were cut off with an audible wince as he gritted his teeth.

“Hey. That’s enough of that now. You don’t need your heart rate going up. You’re human, Mando. As much of a hotshot as you think you are, you can’t take on a whole army on your own.”

“Could’ve escaped.”

“Well, things don’t go the way you want. Sometimes you get shot in the gut while trying to take up some nosey bounty hunters,” she gave him a smirk and imagined that he’d picked up her joke behind his steel. “And sometimes you do your best to take on a full fucking army by yourself and you end up nearly gutted in the hull of your ship. We’ll sort this all out.”

Din let out a shuddering breath. She was right. It was almost insane to think that he was agreeing with one of the most dangerous assassins in the Outer Rim, but she was right. He hated admitting it. And admitting that he was human and made mistakes didn’t lessen the pain of losing his son. Stars, his son. It still felt strange yet oddly natural to think of the little guy that way even if it wasn’t true. The child didn’t belong to him. He didn’t have what it took to be a father to a being as powerful as Grogu. He needed to be with the Jedi, not slumming it in a beat-up hunk of space junk with him. That’s what had gotten the kid kidnapped in the first place.

The pain of that thought made him slam a clenched fist against the steel floor of his ship. His chest spasmed with his gasping breaths. He was feeling the knife jam into his side and rip through his flesh all over again.

“Just hang on. We’re heading to Corvus. You just need to relax, Mando. Now, I’m in charge of patching up that sorry excuse for a cauterization job you did.”

“Please tell me you don’t have to cauterize it again. I was working with my left hand here,” Din gritted out as Fennec grabbed some supplies that Boba brought.

“Such a baby,” Fennec teased as she shook her head. “No. Thankfully I won’t have to do that to you. But you missed a few spots so you’re still bleeding. Plus we don’t want you catching an infection and the little splash of alcohol you threw on yourself isn’t going to cut it.”

“Do what you’ve gotta do,” Din gritted.

“I will, but since I know you won’t take your helmet off you need to keep talking to me so I know you’re awake.”

“Fair enough,” came his strained reply from behind the helmet.

“Alright. I’ll be quick. I’m going to clean it first.”

While to an outside observer it seemed childish for her to be taking him step by step through what she was doing, she knew that methodical and soothing play by play would keep him grounded and also warn him of what was coming next so he could brace himself. He flinched the second her damp cloth touched his wounded side and she gently began to sponge off the blood. He had gone eerily quiet saved for those strained breaths that were making her nervous.

“Keep talking to me, Mando,” she reminded.

“Talk…about what?”

“Literally anything will suffice at this point. I just want to make sure you’re alive under there.”

“You still an assassin?”

She chuckled. “Guess that’s on the back burner for now. Recovery and rehabilitation took a little while, and then Boba’s been running around Tatooine looking for his ship and his armor.”

Din sighed as he relaxed a little bit under her hands. For someone who had used those same hands to kill many an unfortunate victim, they were gentle and soothing as they worked. Fennec noticed and continued her gentle work.

“Why did he agree to help me? We are strangers.”

“Something about Mandalorians and their honor. You know the drill,” she replied as she set aside the cloth and grabbed another one. Quickly, she doused it in the disinfectant. This was going to hurt him. “Applying the disinfectant now.”

The warning wouldn’t have mattered in the end but cause the second the damp cloth pressed against the wound, Din tensed up and groaned. Sharp breaths punctured the air and his first instinct was to grab onto her leg as a way of anchoring himself. Fennec couldn’t stop the butterflies that filled her belly as his hand grabbed her leg just above her knee. This wasn’t anything except him trying to reign in the pain.

“Easy, Mando,” she soothed as she cleaned the burns and deep lacerations expertly. It wasn’t the first time she’d patched up either herself or a colleague in the field.

“F-fuck,” Din breathed out in a shaky voice. “Thought I took care of it.”

“You’ve been flying solo for a long time. I don’t want to even know how many times you’ve gotten sick because you didn’t take care of a wound properly.”

Din draped his arm over the crown of his helmet and took in some deeper breaths through his nose. The initial shock of the alcohol was wearing off to a manageable sting that he could keep under control if he focused. “Too many times to count,” he murmured.

“Hey, don’t go to sleep now. Let me get this under control first,” Fennec scolded.

He squeezed her leg gently. “Still here,” he rumbled.

It felt like electricity had gone straight up her leg from just that small bit of pressure but Fennec forced herself to focus. She’d never seen someone survive a wound so large. The jagged tear started at the softer part of his side about two inches from his hip bone and ended around the middle of his ribs. It was a wonder the blade hadn’t punctured an internal organ or his lungs. Now that she had a moment to size him up without his armor or a blanket obscuring her view, she couldn’t help but note that even without his beskar, he was incredibly strong and his body was hard from years of fighting. Every plane, every curve of his arms and torso were smooth like marble and he didn’t have an ounce of fat on his body. She found herself absentmindedly resting her hand on his abdomen, feeling the toned firmness of the muscle underneath as she finished cleaning the wound.

Din let out a shuddering breath, flinching a little against her hand. “Wh-what’s wrong?”

“Hm? Oh, nothing. Just making sure you didn’t have blood pooling into your stomach or something,” Fennec replied quickly as she set aside the cloth and grabbed the bandages. It was a quick process to peel the protective backing from them and place them firmly on the areas that refused to stop bleeding and then she was pulling the blanket over his magnificent body once more.

“Thank you,” Din said in a tired voice. He hated how utterly exhausted and sick blood loss made him feel.

“Of course. Now if you could keep yourself out of danger for a while we’d be all set.”

Something akin to a weak chuckle rumbled from his helmet but was drowned out by Boba’s boots thumping down the ladder into the hull. Fennec turned and saw her traveling companion makes his way to the fallen Mandalorian and squat beside him.

“Well, it’s good to see you’re awake under there, Mandalorian,” Boba said. His deep voice was warm and friendly; a stark contrast from earlier when Boba assumed he might have to fight the man who had his armor.

Din’s helmet shifted so that the dark visor was facing the older man. “I owe you a debt of gratitude for saving my life,” Din rasped.

“Give me my armor back and we’ll call it even,” Boba replied.

Din sighed. “Locker on the starboard wall.”

Boba straightened and moved to the given location. There was a moment of awe when Boba opened the locker and came eye to eye with his armor. It had been far too long, almost seven years since the steel had graced his frame and after all this time, he couldn’t believe he’d been reunited with it.

Din watched the older Mandalorian as he picked up the battered and faded green helmet with a reverent air. He knew exactly how important this moment was, as it was important to all Mandalorians whether foundlings or natural-born. Their armor was unique to each wearer, and a core part of their identity. To lose it or be stripped of it was essentially like being stripped of oneself. Whatever scrap this man had gotten into that caused him to be without his armor for so long, Din could only imagine the relief of being united with it once more.

Boba slipped on the bracer and turned to Din. “Look here, Mandalorian, I want to show you something.” Kneeling beside Din’s body again, he pressed a button on the control pad and a holograph projection popped up. Din recognized the Mando’a, the language of his ancestors. Boba pointed to a line of script. “That’s me. I had my name programmed into this armor twenty-five years ago.”

Din studied the writing for a moment. “Your father was a foundling.”

Boba nodded. “He fought in the Mandalorian Civil Wars.”

“I-I was a foundling.” For some reason, hearing the Mandalorian tell them of his lineage made him seem all the more human to Fennec. The thought of this powerful warrior being a lost and frightened orphan made a weird ache form in her chest.

“Then it seems you and I have more in common than you thought,” Boba said kindly. His tone had softened significantly. “And now you understand why I plan on helping you get your foundling back from the Empire’s clutches.”

Din gave him a tired nod. His brain was starting to fog up and it was getting hard to keep a straight conversation or pay much attention to the words being spoken to him.

“I think someone needs to rest,” Fennec urged gently and Boba nodded.

“Yes. Rest, Mandalorian. Let your body heal. We’ll be to Corvus by tomorrow morning and then we can form a plan to rescue the child.”

Din let his eyes droop closed. Stars, he was so tired and cold. His fist closed unconsciously as he started to drift off and he remembered that he was still holding on to Fennec’s leg.

***************

“ _Papa! Papa!” Grogu was screaming and crying for him over and over again. His little voice was echoing against the walls of the ship._

_“Hold on, Son. I’m coming,” Din reassured as he moved to sit up. A searing hot pain ripped through his stomach as he pushed his body up and a scream pulled from his throat. Looking down, he saw the dark saber jutting from his gut, the glowing blade slowly melting his insides._

_“You’re too late, Mandalorian,” Gideon’s voice hissed in his ear. “We’re killing him.”_

_The baby’s tortured screams started up and blended with his own as Gideon twisted the blade deep into his flesh._

_“Grogu!”_

“Easy, brother. Easy…”

That wasn’t Gideon’s voice. Din felt arms circle around his back and support his head gently and he fought to escape the grasp.

“Relax. You’re going to hurt yourself.” Din felt a hand fumble for the bottom of his helmet and start to lift it off his head and pure panic filled him. Reaching up blindly, he caught hold of someone’s wrist, halting the process of unmasking him.

“No!” Din gritted. Why couldn’t he open his eyes?

“It’s alright. Just relax.”

“N-No…” his voice was weaker this time.

“ _Udesiir, vod.Gar're morut'yc.Ni ganar gar_.” (Relax, brother. I’ve got you.)

Din stopped struggling and for a moment was overcome with emotion. It had been so long since he’d heard the native tongue of his people. Not since the attack on the covert on Navarro. Somehow, he forced his eyes to open and saw Boba looking down at him.

“ _Ogir vi slanar.Ni ganar gar, vod.Gar're morut’yc_ ,” Boba soothed as he carefully eased Din’s helmet off. (There we go. I’ve got you, brother. You’re safe.)

Din was still so shocked at the sound of Mando’a being spoken by another he didn’t care. Truly, this man was a Mandalorian. A cup was tipped to his lips.

“Drink this. You need to get some water into your system,” Boba urged and Din took a few sips. A funny taste landed on his tongue and he pulled back.

“What is this?”

Boba smiled. “It’s just sugar water. It’ll help with the blood loss and dizziness. Trust me, you don’t want to get sick.”

Din hummed in agreement as he drained the rest of the water. It was a relief when Boba settled him back on the pallet on the floor.

“Where’s Fennec?” He asked.

“She’s piloting for now. We’re about ten hours from Corvus.”

“Feels like it’s been a long time,” Din quipped.

“I know. I know you are anxious to get back to your foundling.”

“It just feels like every second I waste is another that he’s being tortured.”

Boba nodded. “It’s true, the situation looks bleak right now, but we will fight to rescue him. The bad cannot prevail in the face of the good.”

“It seems to have prevailed my whole life.”

“You are like me, a man who has seen many hardships and many sorrows. Let me be living proof that one can overcome these hardships and find a better future.”

Din lapsed into a tired silence. He was too wrung out to wrap his head around any new information at the moment. It was difficult to believe the words of a man he’d only just met. He desperately hoped his old strength and energy would come back. He was going to need every ounce of it in order to rescue his foundling.

*******************

“Remind me again why we are heading to Corvus?” Axe Woves queried as he checked the ship’s navigation.

“I received an urgent communication from Asoka,” Bo-Katan explained. “She needs our help immediately.”

“I wonder what she could possibly need our help for. She’d been in exile.”

“It’s possible she’s located the Darksaber, or possibly the Empire’s whereabouts.”

“Let’s hope it’s something useful,” Koska replied from her place in the captain’s chair.

“I know Asoka well. Whatever this is, it’s important and we need to get there as fast as we can,” Bo-Katan replied with resolve.

“T-minus 3 hours until we reach Corvus,” Woves replied and Bo-Katan nodded affirmatively.

She didn’t have the slightest clue what Asoka could want, but she was determined to come to her old friend’s aid. Staring out the large windshield, she watched the stars whiz past their ship in a column of light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! As always, rate and review!


	4. Ancient Healing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Old friends are reunited and Din becomes acquainted with an ancient healing technique.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I'm so glad folks are loving this story! Bad news is, I caught the 'Rona. But the good news is I'll have plenty of downtime to work on this lovely story for you and get it finished before the finale. Stay safe out there and I hope you enjoy!

The Mandalorian slept for most of the trip except for spells when a nightmare reduced him to a trembling wreck or when a bout of pain became too much for him to handle. Boba offered to stay with Din and watch over him so that Fennec could focus on flying. He also thought Din might be more comfortable without his helmet on and he knew the younger man would never allow his face to be seen by a non-Mandalorian. Fennec had to admit she was a touch jealous. She wanted to know what lurked behind that expressionless steel. It almost infuriated her how secretive and exclusive their little world was. She was focused on the course ahead when Boba sat in the jump seat beside her. 

“How’s he doing?” She asked.

“Sleeping for now. It was rough down there for a bit. We need to hurry and get to Corvus. Hopefully, we can find somebody with some medication and some Bacta. He won’t be able to heal without it.”

Fennec sighed. “We don’t even know what could be waiting for us when we get there,” Fennec pointed out.

Boba let out a short chuckle. “I do, in fact. A Jedi is waiting for us.”

“A Jedi?” Fennec asked. “I thought they all died.”

“No. The Empire thought they had destroyed them all. But I saw them with my own eyes. It was because of the Jedi, that I fell into that Sarlacc pit and spent years without my armor or my ship.”

“Hm. Spoken like a true Mandalorian,” Fennec smirked. “Do you know this particular one?”

Another smirk played around Boba’s lips. “As a matter of fact, I do. I met her once, a long time ago when I was just a boy.”

“Is she friendly?”

“To me? Difficult to say. But the years since we first met have been many. Perhaps we can come to some sort of understanding. Especially if she knows our friend down in the hull.”

“A Jedi and a Mandalorian? Never thought I would see that coming.”

“Me either,” Boba replied. “Set the coordinates for Calodan. That’s where we will find this benevolent Jedi apparently.”

“You’re the boss,” Fennec replied with a shrug as she guided the _Razor Crest_ towards the looming forest planet.

***************

Bo-Katan couldn’t hide her smile beneath her helmet as the ship's ramp lowered and she saw a familiar cloaked figure waiting for them. The turmoil over the years, the conflict and fear that had wreaked havoc on the galaxy had made it difficult to stay in touch with old friends and there were many that she hadn’t heard from in years. But it made her happy to know that no matter what separated them, there were some that she’d manage to hear from every now and then.

“Welcome, sister,” Asoka said warmly as she put down her hood and smiled at her old friend.

Bo-Katan took her helmet off and held it under one arm as she wrapped the other around the Togruta in a friendly hug. “It’s good to see you old friend. Now, what was so urgent? Are you in danger?”

Asoka wrapped her cloak around her body and a look of deep concern graced her face. “How much do you know of the Mandalorian Din Djarin?”

Bo-Katan was filled with surprise. “So he did make it here. We ran into him several weeks ago back on Trask. He was traveling with his foundling.”

“Yes, his name is Grogu.” A small smile played around Asoka’s lips as she fondly remembered the long-eared toddler but it quickly disappeared.

“Where is he now? Surely you didn’t take the foundling from him did you?” Bo-Katan asked.

“Of course not. You were right to send him to me. It’s clear the child is deeply attached to Din. And it’s even clearer that Din loves his foundling deeply even if he hasn’t admitted it to himself yet. I couldn’t possibly take a child away from his father.”

“So what does this have to do with me?”

“I sent him to Tython. I told him to take the Child to the seeing stone and let him reach out in the force; let him choose his own path.” The look of concern grew deeper. “Some time yesterday, while I was meditating, I felt the Child reach out to me. He was full of fear and pain. There were visions of blood and violence. I saw…the Empire. I fear something has happened to them, something dreadful.”

Bo-Katan’s face took on the same grave expression as her friend’s. “It’s Moff Gideon. We have been fighting his forces at every turn for months now. He stole the dark saber from me and has done nothing but cause pain and destruction to my people.”

“Din told me that he’s been after the Child. And the Child told me that Din rescued him from their clutches and that they’ve been on the run ever since. I fear that Gideon has finally caught up to them. If he is indeed after Grogu, and if the visions I received are to be believed, then they are in grave danger.”

“We need to find them, and fast. Din is an impressive fighter but he can’t possibly take on Gideon’s army alone.”

“Our resources are limited since Calodan is so isolated. I trust you have some advanced tracking systems on board,” Asoka said as she gestured to their ship.

“Of course. We’ll get right on it,” Bo-Katan said in a reassuring tone.

She was about to turn to her comrades when a low, mechanical roar lit up the air. She and Asoka both turned to look up at the sky just in time to see the _Razor Crest_ slowly drift through the air, just barely grazing the tops of the trees. The two women looked at each other.

“Perhaps the Child got the same visions you did,” Bo Katan suggested as she moved away from the ramp. The ship came to land in the same clearing and all was quiet for a moment while the engines powered down. With a hiss, the ramp lowered and Bo-Katan expected to see the armor clad Mandalorian and little long-eared baby waiting to step out into the Corvus sunlight. Her stomach dropped, however, when the ramp lowered to reveal a dark-haired woman, a figure wearing dark robes and very beat-up and faded Mandalorian armor. What made her even sicker was the limp figure leaning heavily against the faded Mandalorian wearing no armor, a ripped shirt, and a very familiar silver helmet. His feet stumbled a little bit as the trio walked down the ramp.

“Dank Ferrik,” she breathed as she rushed to them. “What the fuck happened to him?”

“You know him?” The green helmeted man asked.

Bo-Katan nodded. “We met on Trask weeks ago.”

“He had an unfortunate run-in with an Imperial Remnant,” the woman reported.

“Hey, hey!” Bo-Katan called sharply to Din who let off a weak groan. “Did Moff Gideon do this to you?”

He managed a tired nod. “Th-they g-got the kid,” Din wheezed.

“He’s in desperate need of some medical supplies,” the faded Mandalorian said. “Do you have any onboard your ship?

“Yes. Right this way. Make him comfortable on the ship. Take whatever you need,” Bo-Katan urged as she let the trio pass. As they passed Asoka, they halted their progress. For a moment, the green Mandalorian and the former Jedi looked at each other, as if they were sizing each other up.

“Asoka Tano. It’s been far too long,” he said finally.

“Little Boba Fett. You’ve grown into your armor,” the Togruta smirked.

The older Mandalorian said nothing as he helped his younger companion limp to the ship.

**************

Din groaned as he started to come to. He hated feeling so groggy and out of sorts. His whole life revolved around staying sharp and alert so this fogginess was a most unwelcome state. He was acutely aware that his foundling wasn’t sleeping on his chest and he groped blindly for him. The anxiety was spiking. It felt like he was trapped underwater. A hand grabbed his and he curled his grip gently around the fingers.

“Just breathe, Mando. You’re alright.”

His eyes opened. She was back at his side. Slowly he shifted his head so that he could look at her through his visor. He couldn’t remember when his helmet had been put back on. “Fennec. Wh-where are we?” His gaze traveled around the room. They were definitely not on the _Razor Crest_.

“Bo-Katan’s ship,” she replied, trying not to let the fact that they were currently holding hands.

“How do you know her?”

“Oh, we had a nice little chat while you were sleeping. Asoka apparently contacted her after she received visions from your boy,” Fennec explained.

“That’s why he started crying on the Seeing Stone.” Din’s tired brain made the connection and it made his very soul ache.

“Apparently he saw visions of the future, one where you were hurt and left for dead. I don’t know. I don’t understand all this Jedi mumbo jumbo shit,” she said with a shrug.

Din sighed. “How long since we arrived?”

“Only a few hours. You’ve been asleep this whole time.” She saw him move to get up but once more her hand was on his chest, easing him back down again. “You cannot possibly think you’re getting up right now. You’re about as weak as a newborn loth kitten right now and the Bacta infusion isn’t finished yet.”

Din noted a new tube running from his arm and huffed irritatedly. “I don’t have time for this. I need to start hunting down Moff Gideon now if I’m to get the kid back.”

“I know. Bo-Katan and her crew are currently working on it. We can’t go anywhere yet so you need to just sit tight and let your body heal.”

“How much longer until I can get up?”

“Let me see how your wound is doing,” she replied as she moved forward and started to peel away the bandages with a delicate touch.

Din felt his breath stutter but this wasn’t a pain response. No, the Bacta was taking care of that nicely. Her hands were moving over his hip and lower belly as she carefully moved the bandages and it was sending sensations through his body. Something stirred inside him that he hadn’t felt in years, a feeling he didn’t think he was capable of feeling.

“How does it look?” He murmured, regaining his composure.

“Doing pretty well all things considered. I think you’ll be alright in a few hours.”

Din sighed as he let his helmeted head rest against the pillows, trying not to let the waves of mental pain and anxiety wash over him. Where was Grogu? Were they torturing him or was that possibility still looming in the child’s future but hadn’t come to pass yet. He fucked up. He’d fucked up and now his foundling was paying the price and stars did it fucking hurt. He deserved every bit of pain he got.

“Mando, I can see your heart rate spiking. You need to relax,” Fennec urged. But she knew he wouldn’t listen. His mind was like hers, always turning, always planning, always strategizing and calculating. He would require distraction if she was going to get him to calm down. “So, Boba and the other Mandalorians took their helmets off. How come you don’t take yours off?”

“Different Creeds,” Din replied.

“I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Up until a few weeks ago, neither had I,” Din replied, sucking in a sharp breath as he pressed a hand to his wounded side. His heart rate was still elevated.

“Come on, focus on anything else, Mando. Surely there must be something in this galaxy that makes you feel a least a fraction calm, other than the kid of course.”

Din was quiet for a moment.

“Felt a little relaxed when you were cleaning the wound earlier. Not the disinfectant but…your hands…” he trailed off as he felt the heat of embarrassment fill his head.

Her face softened for a moment. “It’s an ancient healing technique. My grandmother taught me. She was my village’s healer.”

“Been running in your circles for a long time, Fennec, and I’ve never known one thing about you except for the fact that you were an assassin, one of the greatest of our time.”

She gave him a wistful look. “My life has been filled with more sorrow and pain than I can ever retell. There were a lot of turns I took for my life to end up where it was. But, the wise words my grandmother told me, and the gifts she imparted on me, well, I’m glad those never left.” Her fingers started to dance along his bare skin, tracing out patterns that Din supposed were the letters of an ancient tongue that was long dead. He couldn’t hide the sigh that escaped his lungs as he started to relax. “This healing technique makes use of physical contact to distract the body and mind from pain,” she explained.

“Th-think it’s helping,” Din stammered as he relished in the way her fingers traced over his muscles. His mind followed her movements, anticipating where she would touch him next, and bit by bit the pain he was in was slowly forgotten.

Her fingers once drifted past his navel to his waistband and he sucked in a breath when he felt a twitch in his pants but then her touch was moving back up towards his chest and he uncoiled once more. She continued to trace patterns into his flesh until she noticed his heartbeat had settled into a calm, slow rhythm signaling that he’d dropped off to sleep under her hands. She wanted nothing more than to feel his smooth, warm skin under her fingertips for the rest of her life. It was a sensation she was slowly becoming addicted to. Tucking her hands under her armpits, she sat cross-armed on a stool beside the bed, waiting for him to wake when he was refreshed and ready.

******************

“So you came up with nothing?” Boba asked Bo-Katan incredulously.

“I have done all the research that I could but Gideon’s army is so massive now it will be difficult to pinpoint exactly which ship he’s on and where he’s headed. If I had a couple of weeks I could gather more intel.”

“The kid doesn’t have a couple of weeks,” Fennec butted in. She’d left din’s side shortly after he’d fallen asleep and had spent the last few hours listening to Bo-Katan, Asoka, and Boba bicker on the best way to find the little green child and his captors.

Bo-Katan sighed and turned to Asoka. “Can’t you reach out to him through the Force and try to find him?”

“I’ve tried since the moment I received those messages and I’ve been unable to make contact,” Asoka confessed. Boba let out an amused snort.

“And here I thought the Jedi were supposed to be all-powerful.”

Asoka turned to look at Boba with pure venom in her eyes. “I am no Jedi,” she spat.

“Hey, that’s enough you two,” Bo-Katan scolded. “We aren’t getting anywhere if we bicker amongst ourselves.”

A silence fell over the little group for a few minutes as each person took a moment to calm down and try to clear their head.

“And you’re sure you don’t have any contacts who might be able to track them down quickly?” Boba asked Bo-Katan who shook her head.

“I do.”

All three turned to see Din make his way down the ramp to them. His legs looked a bit shaky but all things considered, he looked a lot less deathlike now. The Bacta did a good job.

“Well, look who’s up and about. How are you feeling?” Boba asked.

“Sore but better. I have a contact who might be able to track down Moff Gideon’s ship, but-“ he paused for a moment. “It’s going to require a jailbreak.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! As always, rate and review! They never fail to cheer me up or make me feel better.


	5. End of the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Din finally puts into action and the End of the World pushes two unsuspecting souls together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm so sorry it took so long to get this updated. I've really been sick and down for the count. Anyways, sorry this came to such an abrupt end but I figured it would link up with the finale, plus and minus a few characters. Thank you so much for coming along with me on this crazy ride. it was a fun experiment. 
> 
> Disclaimer: Lots of dirty smut in this chapter so enjoy!

The plan was simple really. They were going to go back to Navarro, grab Cara, and then try to spring Mayfeld from prison. It couldn’t be a more sound plan. With Boba, Fennec, Asoka, Bo-Katan, and the other Night Owls on standby, there was no way this plan could go sour. Even now with Boba following in his ship, Bo-Katan, Asoka, and Night Owls following theirs, and Fennec sitting behind him in the jump seat, he had more than enough allies on his side. And yet, Din couldn’t relax. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something dark and terrible was slowly curling its fingers around him. He couldn’t breathe. As he sat in the cockpit of the _Razorcrest_ , he was acutely aware of the absence of his little green son. His hands trembled slightly as he gripped the steering wheel. The events of the past few days still rang so vividly in his mind.

He thought of all the nights they spent in that cockpit, devising little games to keep the toddler occupied during the long travel hours. He fondly remembered practicing with Grogu and getting him to flex his powers He’d been so proud of him, and the baby had looked at him with nothing but love and trust. Trust that he’d betrayed. Din felt the guilt and pain bubbling up in him again. It was squeezing his chest and making it difficult to breathe. Grogu’s innocent face burned into his mind. Those monsters might be hurting him, torturing him, probably bleeding the baby dry. It was killing him to think about it. Really, it was killing him because he couldn’t breathe and a cold sweat started to form on his brow. He was getting hot and dizzy. It was too hot in this cockpit. Hastily, he got out of his chair and started to climb down the ladder.

Din paused for a moment at the bottom of the ladder. In his haste to escape the crushing weight of the air that was seemingly trapped in the cockpit, he hadn’t noticed that Fennec had slipped off. She was in front of him now, seemingly unaware of his presence, her body arched back ever so delicately. For a moment there was a ringing in his ears and his mind went blank as he stared. She began to shift positions and Din swore he’d never seen something so graceful. Not even the Twi’liek belly dancer he’d seen back in a cantina on Coruscant once while on assignment. There was something so beautiful, and secret about the routine he was witnessing and suddenly he felt like it was intruding on something private. Hurriedly, he started to scramble up the ladder.

“You weren’t bothering me, you know,” Fennec commented slyly as she stretched her arms up as high as she could reach. _Tall and graceful, like a reed_. Her grandmother’s words still hung in her mind even after all these years.

“I-I didn’t want to intrude,” Din muttered, suddenly fumbling over his words and feeling painfully awkward. “Just needed some air.”

“I know the feeling. That’s why I came down here,” Fennec replied.

“What are you doing?” Din finally gathered the courage to ask.

“Stretching routine. Monks from a distant star system developed it eons ago.” She couldn’t help but smirk a little at what was clearly a confused look on his steel helmet. Boy, that man sure knew how to convey such emotion despite the steel. “It’s to help me stay loose. We’re going into a fight yeah?”

“Most likely. Moff Gideon’s forces have put up a fight every step of the way and they have us outnumbered.” He paused for a moment. “But I like our odds.”

“Good. Don’t need you letting your mind get clouded. I know a lot has happened over the last few days.”

Din couldn’t stop the heavy sigh that pulled from him. She was right. Worries, and thoughts, and fears were fogging up his mind and making it difficult to focus on the task at hand. If he couldn’t find some way to separate himself from that like he did back when he was a lone bounty hunter it would be difficult to come out of the situation on top. Dank Ferrik, the kid had made him soft.

“You could do this with me if you want,” Fennec offered.

Din felt the heat rush straight to his head and fill his helmet He half expected steam to come out of the bottom. He searched her face for any sign of teasing but she was as good at masking her emotions as he was. “You’re joking right?”

He just barely caught the smirk that graced her lips. “True. I don’t exactly see you doing of any of this all wrapped in steel like that,” she commented as she twisted out her body, one hand resting flat on the floor and the other reaching gracefully to the ceiling. Din felt something almost…feral stirring in his lower belly. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind.

“Yeah, flexibility wasn’t…always my strong suit.” Din was feeling sweat start to pool under his flight suit.

A soft chuckle left her lips as she finished and walked over to him. Gently she took his arm in her hands. “Mind if I see for a moment?” He was speechless as he let her manipulate his arm in her hands. Gently, she stretched it out its full length. Even around the beskar bracer and pauldron, she could feel the strong muscles of his arm. She knew what he was hiding under the steel. “Yeah, I don’t think flexibility is your game. Stick with the sharpshooting.”

She let go of his arm and for a moment they stood a few inches apart, looking at each other. Din could hardly breathe. A loud beeping caught them off guard. It was the holograph up in the cockpit.

“We must be coming up on Navarro,” Din said quickly before turning away and climbing up to the cockpit. He took a deep breath as he pressed a flashing button. Whatever emotions he was experiencing, he needed to set them aside and get their mission done. They were coming up on Navarro now. He knew that once he explained to Cara what had happened, everything would start moving in hyper speed. He couldn’t afford to be slowed down by even the slightest distraction. Fennec came up to the cockpit and sat wordlessly in the jump seat behind him. It was go-time.

***************

In the end, breaking Mayfeld out of prison, infiltrating the refinery, and finding out where Moff Gideon’s ship was lurking in deep space had been the easy part. Pretending to be an imperial officer, fighting hordes of pirates, driving highly explosive materials, and making it out of the enemy line by the seat of their pants was a walk in the park. What hadn’t been easy, what had taken every ounce of Din’s willpower and courage, what later had formed a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, was something that to everyone else was the most natural thing in the world. Din was sitting in the dark hull of his ship, clenching and unclenching his fists as he tried to push the guilty feeling away. He’d taken the helmet off…

_Have you ever removed your helmet?_

_No._

He shut his eyes.

_And has your helmet ever been removed by another?_

_Never._

A buzzing was filling his ears and he felt like he might either pass out or throw up. Everything, this whole situation was so twisted. He couldn’t shake the feeling of that imperial officer staring at him. It had felt so unnatural. There was a cramping feeling in his chest as he remembered how he couldn’t even make eye contact.

 _I never saw your face_.

He knew Mayfeld had meant well and as long as they both lived, Din knew the man would never tell a soul and if asked, he would deny it with venom. It didn’t matter though. As long as Din lived he would never forget the moment he was given a choice and had tossed his creed out the window without a second thought. He heard soft footsteps and looked up.

Fennec had noticed something was wrong the second Din had returned from the refinery. He was sullen and quiet, more so than usual. They got what they had come for and then they had left with Din leading up the little convoy. She’d witness the wavering fury in his voice as he left Moff Gideon a message, swearing he would get his foundling back. There was nothing but raw power and emotion as he calmly threatened the imperial, and then Din hadn’t said another word for hours. Now she found him sitting alone, in the dark, clearly in the throes of a panic attack and she felt nothing but pity for the man. They were alike in many ways; calm and collected on the outside, yet vulnerable and broken on the inside. Their livelihoods depended on them being this way, but it meant when they crashed, they crashed harder than anyone.

He must have heard her footsteps because he looked over at her and quickly got to his feet. “Everything alright?” He asked in a husky voice.

“Yeah. Everything is fine. Still on course. We should be there by morning.” There was nothing but silence. “Everything ok down here?”

“Yeah.”

“Did…did something happen at the refinery? You seem-“ she stopped, trying to find the right words. “Off.”

There was a brief pause but Fennec picked up on it. “No. Everything’s fine.”

She reached out in the dark and grasped his arm. He could feel how tightly his muscles were clenched beneath the flight suit. “You’re stiff as a board, Mando.”

She heard an audible wince as the muscles spasmed beneath her hand. “I’m fine. Took a hit trying to fight off some pirates.”

“Want me to take a look at it?”

“I’m fine.” There was a ragged breath that hung in dark. It came from deep somewhere in his chest.

“You sure you’re ok?”

“Yeah.” His voice was tight and her grip around his arm eased.

“Whatever you need to do to relax, you need to find that center,” she urged. “I’ll help you. Whatever you need.” Her fingers lightly traced the crook of his arm. She didn’t think he could feel it but a shudder ran through his body. He was breaking down in her hands and an urge filled her that burned hot and wild. It fueled her actions. “I’m here. Whatever you need.” Her fingers slid down his arm until they reached his gloved hands. They expertly found the ring of skin that was exposed between the edge of his glove and the cuff of his sleeve and traced lightly around his wrist.

“C-can you see anything?”

“No. You’ve got every single light off in here, Mando. Why?”

Even in all her years as an assassin, she’d never seen someone move so swift. There was a soft hiss in the dark followed by a loud, metallic clunk, and the next thing she knew he had reversed their positions so she was pressed up against the wall.

“I need you,” he whispered and her eyes went wide. His voice was no longer filtered by the modulator in his helmet. His helmet was off. The Mandalorian was standing in front of her in the dark with his helmet off. She yearned to reach up and feel his face. A firm hand grasped her wrist, halting its progress to grace the features before it.

“Not yet,” he growled. “Not until I tell you to.”

“What do you want me to do?” She asked breathlessly. This flip in the power dynamic left her in shock.

“Take off your clothes,” he rasped. His voice was stirring something powerful in her core.

“Alright, but you take off yours too.”

She began to slip out of her tunic and she heard the unmistakable sound of steel hitting the floor in a muted thump as it got tangled up in fabric on the way down. She couldn’t believe it as she let her top fall to the floor before she slid her pants off. He was stripping down every once of who he was in front of her, leaving himself exposed and vulnerable. She finished undressing and shivered in the cool air of the hull, waiting for his next move. Then his arms were around her, caressing her body as his lips met hers. She couldn’t hide the moan that escaped her mouth as he pulled her close and kissed her hungrily. She moved to grab onto his strong arms but he stopped her again.

“I didn’t say you could touch me yet,” he murmured in her ear and she shuddered at the feel of his breath on her skin.

“Please,” she found herself begging.

“Please what?”

“Please let me touch you.”

She felt him take her hand into his. His skin was rough and it was such a juxtaposition to how gentle he was being as he guided her hand to his face. Her fingers touched a stubbled cheek and emotion overcame her. She could only imagine it had been a long time since his face had been touched and now he was allowing her this secret privilege. She cupped his cheek gently and she felt his breath skip like he was trying to adjust to the situation. Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, feeling his lips against hers. She was absolutely drunk on the taste of him and she desperately wanted more.

A fire crackled inside of her as he felt him grab her thigh and tug pulling her flush against his pelvis. She couldn’t feel the undeniable hardness against her and it drove her wild. She hopped up and wrapped her legs around his waist as he moaned into her mouth. They were moving and in five steps they reached his cot and the soft give of the mattress met her bare back as he lowered her down. She didn’t even have time to catch her breath before his lips were on her neck and his hands grabbed roughly at her breasts.

“Fuck,” she breathed out in a shaky voice. Why couldn’t she catch her breath? Why couldn’t she breathe? His touch and lips were almost overwhelming. All she could do is bury her fingers in his wavy hair as he grasped her nipple between his lips and start to suck gently. High pitched whimpers pulled themselves from her lips and he let out a rumbling chuckle as he kissed the skin between her breasts.

“Look at you. So helpless. The mighty Fennec Shand, a whimpering mess.” He chuckled again and the sound would have set her climax off alone.

“N-not, helpless,” she gasped.

“Oh really? We’ll see about that.” He began to kiss down her body and she gasped for breath. His lips gently met the smooth curves of her toned stomach and she felt his hands slip in between her thighs, gently pushing them apart.

“M-Mando…” she stuttered. She could feel his breath on her sensitive skin.

“So wet already for me,” he murmured as he ran his tongue up her slit. Fennec’s first instinct was to squeeze her legs shut but he held them open as he worked magic between her thighs. Lights exploded behind her eyes and she couldn’t mask her pleasured whimpers. Was there nothing this man couldn’t do? Everything was crashing and exploding and it was difficult to tell what he was doing. It wouldn’t matter anyway because the waves of pleasure running through her were almost too much.

“M-Mando….please I’m-I’m…don’t wanna…” She’d never been speechless her entire life but this man’s mouth between her legs was enough to render her brain useless. Her orgasm was coming fast but she didn’t want to finish yet. Not like this. Not without having felt him inside her. “P-please…please I-I want you inside me.” He didn’t seem to be listening to her pleas as started sucking on her clit. She moaned and tugged on his hair, trying to get him up but that seemed to spur him on. It felt like a star exploded and a scream ripped from her as she climaxed, flooding his mouth with her cum. Her thighs tightened around his head and he gripped her skin so hard she was certain he would bruise her flesh. Before she had a chance to catch her breath he was leaning over her and she could feel his rock-hard cock teasing her throbbing entrance.

“My turn,” he moaned. His voice was strained and wavering.

“Wait!” Fennec gasped.

“What?”

“What’s your name?”

“What?”

“Please, tell me your name.”

“Why?”

A smirk crossed her face. “We’re meeting Moff Gideon tomorrow. The world might end, and I want to know your name.” She ran her fingers lightly down his toned body, making him moan as she touched his oversensitive skin.

“It’s Din. My name is Din.” He pulled her close. “You know my name, now I want to hear you scream it when I make you cum again.” Without another word, he thrust deep inside her.

She cried out and her nails raked across his back as she felt him bottom out inside her. He filled her so fully it was hard to believe she could fit all of him within her. For a moment he held her there, letting her get used to his girth as he peppered her neck with light kisses. “That’s a good girl, taking all of me inside you.”

“Please fuck me, Din,” she begged, aching to feel him slide in and out of her. She almost sobbed in relief as his hips started to move in a slow yet rhythm.

She felt herself stretch deliciously around him and felt a fire rip through her. If she died right here being fucked into oblivion by the Mandalorian, that would be the way she wanted to go. He moaned as he bent over her, never breaking his rhythm as he sucked and bit the skin on her shoulder. She grasped his strong arms and moaned. It was almost sinful how good he felt.

“Fuck…you f-feel so good,” he moaned in a strained voice.

“I-Is that all you got?” She teased. “Th-thought you were gonna-” a high-pitched moan escaped her lips as he pinched her nipple. “Thought you were gonna make me scream your name.”

“I’m just getting warmed up,” he growled in her ear before snapping his hips against hers. She cried out and clung to him desperately. “What was that?” He said brusquely as he pounded into her. “You think you can handle me?”

She wanted to bite back with some witty quip and be as much of a smart ass as he was being but for the life of her, her brain was empty. There wasn’t a thought in her head until he pulled out and she suddenly felt very, very empty.

“P-please,” she whimpered. She didn’t care that she was begging, especially having never begged for a thing in her life. But the thought of him leaving her to chase her release made her unbelievably frustrated. Before she could give him the what for he was flipping her onto her belly.

“So impatient,” he moaned in her ear before peppering her neck and shoulders with kisses.

“You are absolutely infuriating,” she replied, feeling her skin jump beneath his lips. “Now fuck me!”

“Fuck,” he growled as he grabbed her hips and started pounding into her with all his might. She was so tight and his skin felt like it was on fire. He was barreling towards his release with no way to stop and at that moment, his one goal was to make her scream with pleasure. One hand reached up gripped the frame of his sleeping quarters and the other tangled in her long tresses. He wanted to utterly ruin her. And she wanted to be ruined by him. Each thrust filled her with unimaginable tremors and she could feel a powerful orgasm filling her belly.

“F-fuck, Din. Oh fuck I-I’m gonna cum,” she mewled out as she gripped the thin blanket beneath her.

“Yeah? Good.” His raspy voice was strained like he wasn’t far behind her. “Cum for me, darling.”

She shrieked his name as everything warped and exploded. She practically convulsed as a powerful climax ripped through her and she clenched so tightly down on his cock he let out a hoarse cry as his own release followed. There was lava filling her now and the feeling milked another, less intense orgasm out of her.

“F-fuck,” Din gasped as he gripped the top of the bed frame for support, allowing her to crawl out from under him and make room for him on the small mattress. He crawled onto the cot and laid beside her, taking her into his strong arms. His skin was still damp with sweat and she could hear his heart pounding in his chest.

“Feeling relaxed now?” She panted.

“Yeah,” he replied breathlessly and she chuckled.

“You don’t have to keep everything behind the steel all the time, Din. It’s alright to be open with others. We all know you’re worried about your foundling. What happened was a tragedy.”

“Yeah. It was,” Din sighed.

“But we have a plan and some direction now. We’re going to get him back. Tomorrow, you’ll be reunited with him.”

“Yeah, or the world might end,” he said, letting out a soft chuckle.

“Least we made the most of tonight then,” she replied as she snuggled against his chest.

“I guess,” Din replied. A silence fell over both of them.

“You need to rest, Din. We have a big day in the morning.”

There was a long stretch of silence. “Can you do that thing with your fingers?” He murmured.

“Of course,” she replied. As she rested her cheek on him, she started to trace little patterns into his skin, relishing in the sigh of satisfaction she drew from him. She continued until he fell asleep, and then she drifted off beside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I will still try to write while I'm sick. We all need some good fanfictions to get us through the next year until season 3. Happy reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Let me know if this is something I should continue! Please rate and review!


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